National News

Oct 11, 2018

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2:19PM

International Day of the Girl being observed today

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International Day of the Girl is being observed today. This day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights. In his message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres asked everyone to recommit to supporting every girl to develop her skills, enter the workforce on equal terms and reach her full potential.

In her message on the occasion, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said in the four years since its inception, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao has progressed tremendously by bringing about a change in people's mindset. Ms Gandhi reaffirmed government's commitment to providing every girl child with an environment that will enable the girl child to reach her full potential.

The theme this year is With Her: A Skilled Girl Force. Today's generation of girls are preparing to enter a world of work that is being transformed by innovation and automation. Educated and skilled workers are in great demand, but roughly a quarter of young people, most of them female, are currently neither employed nor in education or training.

Of the 600 million adolescent girls that will enter the workforce in the next decade, more than 90 per cent of those living in developing countries will work in the informal sector, where low or no pay, abuse and exploitation are common.

Today marks the beginning of a year-long effort to bring together partners and stakeholders to advocate for and draw attention and investments to, the most pressing needs and opportunities for girls to attain skills for employability.